At 463,000 square kilometers, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest Pacific island state. Located in the South
West Pacific, it is bound by the Gulf of Guinea and the Coral Sea to the south, Indonesia to the west, the Solomon
Sea to the east, and the Bismarck Sea to the northeast. PNG comprises the eastern half of New Guinea island, four additional islands (Manus, New Ireland, New Britain, and Bougainville), and 600 smaller islets and atolls to the north and east. PNG is home to a diverse range of ecosystems, including mountain glaciers, humid tropical
The Papua New Guinea Government submits PNG’s first Biennial Update Report (BUR1) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report follows the BUR guidelines for developing countries according to paragraphs 39 to 42 of Decision 2/CP.17 and its Annex III.
This chapter provides a brief description of Papua New Guinea, its past and present climate as well as projections for the future. The climate observation network and the availability of atmospheric and oceanic data records are outlined. The annual mean climate, seasonal cycles and the influences of large-scale climate features such as the West Pacific Monsoon and patterns of climate variability (e.g. the El Niño‑Southern Oscillation) are analysed and discussed.
UNDP has been working during the last decade to support countries to transition to green, inclusive, climate-resilient development paths. More than US$790 million in grant financing from the Global Environment Facility-managed Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund, as well as the Kyoto Protocol’s Adaptation Fund and bilateral finance, have been mobilized to assist countries to achieve their adaptation
priorities. These resources build on and complement over US$2.5 billion in co-financing that has also been invested.
Climate change and Marine
Climate change and migration
The 2020 State of Environment Report is the first for Papua New Guinea.